Op-Ed: Dogs should enjoy North Mianus Park, not run free

Published 3:35 pm, Thursday, February 14, 2013

Very few cities can offer a wilderness park a few minutes from their city center. However, the Mianus River Park, as its "Friends" website says, is a remarkable jewel of rocky, riparian public land, almost 300 acres of mature forest and dramatic landscape lying mostly to the west of the Mianus River on the Greenwich/Stamford border. Those who know the park best are addicted to its magic, its ancient secrets, and above all, its dependable tranquility. A truly-needed escape from urban pressures, it seems to reach out across generations, to nearby residents, old folks, children, dogs, bikers, skiers, fishermen and, just folks. Even in windy, freezing winter weather, a steady stream of visitors arrive in parking lots on both the Greenwich and Stamford sides, and set off to enjoy crisp air and the cool arboreal joy of the Mianus River's natural environment.

According to statistics gathered by a volunteer group on the Stamford side, dog walkers are predominant as park users. Bounding out of their cars, dogs seem to gather energy as they rejoice in their chance to breathe big, and race, and assert their athletic, beautiful grace. Owners vary in their observance of posted ordinances, but of course the dogs don't know or care ... they love the freedom, and so do we as dog owners. It is heartwarming to see dog-friends arrive in separate cars, and pant and yelp with pleasure as they rejoice and congregate with other dogs they know.

While individually, most dogs and their responsible owners/walkers usually present little if any problem, their cumulative impact, as predominant users of the park, can be devastating. Even if just a few fail to pick up after their pets, over time, the fecal threat to the water supply for tens of thousands of downstream residents becomes a reality. When dogs naturally gravitate toward the water, their wonderful, joyous vigor leaves deep scars in the riverbank, not to mention the disturbance to fishermen.

Dog owners rightly seek a mutually free-roaming wilderness experience for their dogs as well as themselves, with encounters along the way with wildlife, river, rocks and steep country. Other users however, with equal rights, seek the same, and are often surprised and sometimes frightened by off-leash dogs. Some neighboring residents have stopped going there, citing undisciplined, free-roaming dogs as their reason.

The fact that we are legally obligated to leash our dogs in public places seems strangely irrelevant to some dog walkers who feel they have a right to disobey the law. The corresponding rights of others to the same space are of no consequence to these folks, who have simply stated to those questioning their behavior that "people should just learn to be around dogs." Children's fear of large animals, allergies, or even the anxiety of smaller leashed dogs having to deal with larger free-ranging dogs, do not seem to matter.

A police officer who knows the park well put it clearly in terms of people beginning to ruin what they actually cherish; he said, "You are wrecking the reason you come here!" It is a shame that a few users are spoiling the atmosphere for all. A few days ago, a Stamford Patch article, headlined "Dog Drags Girl by Backpack in Mianus Park," described the harrowing experience of an elementary school child terrified by a large off-leash dog trying to get at food in her pack.

And it is not only humans who are affected negatively. The park is home to many wildlife species, some rare or endangered. Off-leash dogs, intentionally or not, may disrupt habitat, trample wildflowers and saplings, and drive off, stress and kill animals, birds and their young.

Wild animals especially, often stressed by the rigors of outdoor life in urban settings, can weaken and die due to interactions with unleashed dogs. For example, running dogs can scare animals so severely that they abandon their young, leaving them to starve or be eaten. Likewise, pregnant and newborn wildlife, migrating birds, and animals already chilled and hungry due to winter conditions do not have the reserves to repeatedly flee dogs. Repeated disruption of feeding, at any time of the year, can drive animals out of the park or cause fatal illness.

But the major concern is the effects on the sustainability of the park and the pleasurable use by all, particularly children. When a young child resists going into this beautiful place because of a fear of dogs (as has happened), things have gone too far. So, for the sake of the park, for our families, and for our own good, please let's all agree to leash our dogs and clean up their waste! Dog-to-dog and wildlife-to-dog infections via feces, bodily fluids, dead animal carcasses and toxic plants (poison ivy) all are compelling reasons to follow existing laws on dog-walking. The federal Environmental Protection Agency has a fact sheet on pet waste management. It can be found at the following site:

The park is a rare treasure for us all. Everyone should be able to enjoy its gifts, its tranquility, its rocky ridges and leafy quiet. It is up to us all as users to manage, protect and sustain these qualities, not only for ourselves, but also for the generations that follow.